Barnala DC meets farmers who manage the stubble

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Barnala, October 15

To get direct feedback from farmers about their needs to manage stubble without burning it, Barnala Deputy Commissioner Tej Partap Singh Phoolka visited various villages on Tuesday. 

Accompanied by senior officials, the DC also interacted with farmers. At Kothe Sran village, farmers are mixing crop residue in the soil with the help of reversible MB plough after chopping the stubble with mulcher. 

The farmers said they cultivated potatoes, wheat and other crops without burning stubble. At Sukhpura village where a farmer was managing stubble with the help of baler, the DC inspected the whole process in which a rake collects the hay cut by the reaper and assembles it in rows and a baler makes bales. Then the bales are transported to a power plant where it is burnt to produce energy. Thereafter, the field is ready for sowing the next crop. At Handiaya, the DC inspected a custom hiring centre where a group of farmers recently purchased agricultural implements on subsidy.

The DC also appealed to the farmers not to burn crop residue. He tried to convince them to adopt eco-friendly methods with the help of modern agricultural implements, which are being provided by the Punjab Government on 80 per cent subsidy.

“These equipment are also available at affordable rental prices at custom hiring centers across the district,” said DC Phoolka.

Sukhwinder Singh Grewal, a farmer of Kothe Sran, said they had not burnt stubble for the past two years as they had been mixing the crop residue in the soil with the help of machines provided by the government on subsidy. 

He added that they were also sensitising other farmers to not to burn crop residue by highlighting its ill-effects on the environment. “Positive results of mixing the crop residue in the soil will definitely change the mindset as the yield is increased where stubble is not burnt. It also requires a lesser amount of chemical fertilisers,” the DC added.